R.O.S.E. Kanda which offered the perfect combination of volunteering and an experience of traditional rural Indian life at not too high a cost

Nicola and Harriet British visitor
We are two British volunteers who have recently been staying with the Verma family in a beautiful setting in the foothills of the Himalayas. We really wanted to do something worthwhile while in India but found that a lot of charities had extortionate administration fees and a minimum length of stay requirement of at least one month. We soon came across R.O.S.E. Kanda which offered the perfect combination of volunteering and an experience of traditional rural Indian life at not too high a cost. We had no idea what to expect but were delighted when we laid eyes on the brightly rose-coloured family house and surrounding farm lands. The trip to Kanda is not an easy one but undeniably worth the time it takes to get here – the journey through the winding mountain roads is a wonderful experience in itself if you’re happy to share a bus with the locals and put up with the occasional bout of travel sickness! After one week with the family, we have witnessed a Hindu ceremony, tasted the delights of authentic home cuisine (eaten with hands of course), watched a cow being artificially inseminated, taught deprived Indian school children the hokey cokey and developed a warm attachment to Mr Verma and his family. We cannot recommend this experience more highly to anyone considering volunteering in India!